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The Flash Drops a Major Clue About Cicada & His Powers

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Blocked," the latest episode of The Flash.

The Flash just dropped a major clue about Cicada. In "Blocked," the latest episode, Team Flash faced off against their freak of the week, only to encounter something much more insidious. The ensuing battle against Cicada and Nora's reaction to seeing him suggest he may actually be from her time period.

When Cicada arrived, Barry instructed Nora to take someone to the hospital, leaving himself, Elongated Man and Vibe to fight Cicada alone. Cicada immediately demonstrated why he is a formidable foe by nullifying their powers with his lightning bolt-shaped dagger. Even without their powers, Team Flash fought valiantly, but Cicada overcame them easily. In fact, he was about to kill Flash when Nora returned. As soon as they locked eyes, Nora and Cicada shared a moment of recognition. Nora froze, allowing Cicada to shuffle away without a word.

As Team Flash recovered from the fight, Iris revealed what she had discovered at CCPD. She replayed footage from the night Gridlock died and pointed out the noise, which Caitlin said sounded like an insect. "Like a Cicada," Nora said with a grim expression. Everyone turned to look at her when she said that, and Barry asked who Cicada was. She didn't respond before the episode cut to black, but the scared look on her face spoke volumes.

The promo for "The Death of Vibe," next week's episode, only confirmed the worst. In it, Cicada is described as "one of the worst serial killers in history." However, it isn't clear whose history is being discussed.

Introduced in 2001's The Flash #170 by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins, the Cicada of the comics is David Hersch, who was filled with regret after murdering his wife when he was struck by lightning. As a result, he gained the ability to absorb the life-force of others, allowing him to dramatically extend his life. Believing he was somehow linked to The Flash by the similar accidents in which they gained their powers, Hersch founded a cult whose members were dedicated to murdering everyone the Scarlet Speedster ever saved, using lightning bolt-shaped daggers. As the result of a vision, Hersch believed that the energy from all the people The Flash saved, and from the hero himself, would allow him to resurrect his dead wife.